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Ventura, Calif. -  With the sun shining bright on an early December Saturday the temperatures at Notre Dame High School reached the upper 80's, but the temperature was not the hottest thing of the day as multiple arms topped the 90 MPH mark with two of the more intriguing programs in the Los Angeles/Ventura County region squared off. Notre Dame's pitching rotation last year was fronted by the talented Levi Sterling who went 37th overall and possessed an impressive group of arms and this year they look to be right on par with talent levels of previous Notre Dame pitching staffs giving them every chance to compete at th top of the talented Mission League. Royal put together a solid 2024 CIF-SS high school season with a younger roster that was fronted predominantly by Soph./Jr. talent that gained valuable experience last year, but this year comes loaded and ready to make a run at the Coastal Canyon League title with what might be the best pitching staff in Ventura County. 

Below you can check out my breakdown of the standouts of the day with video highlights and click the link to take you to each players Prep Baseball profile page.

(Players can click on their link below to claim their profile or if your profile is not listed below search the Prep Baseball database for your profile. Don't see your profile? You can create a free Prep Baseball profile here)

Notre Dame High School (Sherman Oaks):

+ '25 RHP Logan Berenson - (Boston College Commit):

This was my first time getting a live look at the Boston College commit Berenson who opened the game on the mound for Notre Dame and I came away highly impressed with the future ACC righthander. Berenson has some present physicality to his 6'3 195 lbs. with strength in his lower half which he utilizes effectively with aggressive intent as he works down the mound, but the ability to hold his line with the front side of his body and control the strike zone. Berenson worked with a 3 pitch mix for a 2 inning outing which saw only one out put in play by the leadoff hitter and then punched out the next 5 batters he faced. His FB worked predominantly in the 90-92 MPH range with arm side life, but he did hit multiple 93's on my gun while collecting whiff in the zone multiple times. Backing up the FB was a pair of solid present offspeed offerings both of which he shows feel for the strike zone with fronted personally for me by his 80-82 MPH which has tumble down in the zone and then a sharp late breaking 78-81 MPH SLD which induced chase from RH hitters. There is plenty in the overall package that give Berenson a chance to stick as a starter at the next level and should be an impactful piece of the Notre Dame pitching staff in spring 2025.

+ '27 RHP J. Beckett Berg - (Uncommitted):

I had the chance to see Berg two previous times this year at the SoCal Preseason All State Underclass in January and then again at the Brewers Area Code Tryout in June and I rounded out the year with a quality 2 inning look at his development over the year. For me the two biggest things that have improved with Berg are first his physicality as he looks stronger in lower 1/2 with some additional strength in the upper body and secondly the velocity/life on his pitches. Using a controlled operation working down the mound Berg stays online with a short quick arm action that jumps the ball on hitters giving his FB plenty of life coming in at 86-88 MPH while touching 89 on multiple occasions and pounds the zone with the pitch. The righthander backs his FB up with a pair of offspeed offerings that again for me personally are fronted by an intriguing 80-82 MPH CHG with deception and fade to the arm side. As well, he mixed in a 77-79 MPH SLD with tight break that he can throw for strikes consistently. The profile for Berg continues to rise and he is one of the best '27 arms in not only the Los Angeles/Ventura County region, but in the state to keep eyes on.

+ '26 RHP Holden Newhouse - (Loyola Marymount Commit):

This was my second look at Newhouse this year after seeing him at the Brewers Area Code Tryouts in the summer time and he earned a commitment to Loyola Marymount just over a month ago on the strength of his impressive summer/fall period of the year. After this view at the strongly built 6'3 210 lbs. righthander I'm all in on the future potential for him to go with his present performance. Like the first two arms that Notre Dame ran out for me he worked off a 3 pitch mix of an impressive FB, highly intriguing CHG, and very good SLD which helped him to punched out the side in his 1 inning outing. The FB for Newhouse worked predominantly at 88-90 and touched 91 MPH a trio of times and he gets there from an athletic operation with a longer arm action that shows plenty of potential to continue adding velocity in the future. I came away torn on which of his 2 secondaries I like better as each flashed intriguing present ability, but have upside as he continues to add feel/life to both offerings. Newhouse throws a CHG at 78-80 MPH with late fade to the arm side and induced multiple swing/miss from LH hitters and then he predominantly attacked RH hitters with a sharp 77-80 MPH SLD with bite, but he could back off to the 75 MPH range adding some length to the horizontal break on it. Newhouse is not polished, but relatively sound in everything he does on the mound while showing good feel for the strike zone, but shows some room for improvement while adding command as he matures. Overall, he is another starter profile arm for the Knights who should be a prominent piece for their 2025 staff.

+ '26 RHP Osvaldo Nunez - (Uncommitted):

My second look at the intriguing uncommitted righthander was as impressive as his outing at the Orange County Uncommitted Game if not maybe even more on this Saturday 2 inning look. The delivery is clean with body control and good intent while using a quick arm that pounded the strike zone with all of his offerings. Nunez sat 89-91 MPH on his FB throughout the 2 innigs with arm side run to the pitch which induced heavy ground ball contact from the Royal hitters. His primary secondary is an intriguing CHG that flashed late sharp tumble with swing/miss potential at 82-83 MPH and thrown with FB arm speed that fooled hitters. The righthander adds a slurvy like SLD in the 73-74 MPH range that he is still polishing, but is starting to take steps forward as he works to add more life to the pitch to round out his arsenal. The foundation on Nunez is very strong, but still with room to add more upside should his SLD take the necessary steps forward while continuing to tick forward with FB velocity and gain valuable varsity experience on the Notre Dame pitching staff next spring that gives him an interesting ceiling to his future.

+ '26 C Jacob Madrid - (Long Beach State Commit):

This was my first time getting an in-person look at the talented backstop for Notre Dame who committed to Long Beach State this fall. The first thing that stands out about Madrid is the frame as he stands 6'4 and nearly 200 lbs. with some present physicality that is highly intriguing. I did not get an extensive look at Madrid behind the plate as Notre Dame rotated several backstops over the course of the 9 innings, but needless to say the work that the RH hitter did while in the batters box was impressive enough. It's a strong operation to what he does in the box including a pretty compact hand path but is able to generate leverage/lift with his barrel working up through the zone that flashes an interesting power profile. His approach is sound as he stayed within the strike zone and was accurate with the bat getting to the ball and strong enough to miss-hit a ball with carry. On the day Madrid collected a trio of doubles and drew a walk. The first double was an inside out line drive down the RF line in a 2K count in his first plate appearance of a FB over 90 MPH, second at bat he drew a BB, third at bat he flashed the strength in his swing being late on a pitch but with plenty of lift and carry to loft the ball down the RF line for another double and in his last plate appearance he turned around a pitch over the plate for a loud double to the LCF gap. Overall, the offensive profile for Madrid is interesting especially with the solid approach he combines with strength that should generate impact for the Notre Dame offense come spring time and carry into his future with a power profile at a premium defensive spot. I'm looking forward to getting another look at Madrid as he will attend the Central California Preseason All State on Jan. 5th at Antelope Valley College.

+ '25 3B/1B Dominic Cadiz - (UCLA Commit):

Cadiz had a breakout 2024 spring high school season as the top offensive piece in the Notre Dame lineup and the RH hitting corner INF has just continued to barrel the baseball throughout the rest of the year. I saw Cadiz at the Brewers Area Code Tryout in summer where he stung the ball with a wood bat and flashed impressive pull side power. The profile for Cadiz is carried by his offensive ability and the more I see him the more I'm intrigued with just how good he can be as a RH hitter because he continues to get better with each viewing on top of what was already an impressive offensive toolset. The approach is an aggressive one where he is loading and moving with intent to hit on each pitch, but he combines that with a sound feel for the strike zone and quality swing decisions (stayed within the strike zone on all his swings) and he finds the barrel consistently even with his outs. Cadiz opened his day by smoking a 93 MPH FB to RCF on a line for an out but the ball jumped off his bat, in his next at bat he stung a hard one grounder just to the left of the Royal 3B who made a tremendous snag to retire Cadiz, but he finally broke through in his 3rd trip by jumping on a pitch up in the zone and lacing in down the LF line for a hit. In his final plate appearance Cadiz ambushed an early hanging breaking ball that he launched with impressive carry although he was just out front enough for it to go foul, but it was a display off the HR power in his profile and he eventual would draw a walk after that. Cadiz played 1B on the day, but I've seen him look solid at 3B enough to potential handle the spot at the next level defensively.

+ '27 SS/2B Sebastien Grove - (Uncommitted):

Grove opened the day at SS and stayed there for the majority of the early innings before sliding over to play 2B later in the game. His defensive skillset is an intriguing one as he flashes athletic actions when he moves around up the middle. It's a quick first step, rhythm/softness with his feet as he shows range laterally/downhill and body control, his hands are smooth with a quick transfer, and he flashes an accurate arm that if he can continue adding strength to it long term could stick at SS, but he will be an impact defender should he need to move to 2B while also having experience playing CF he is destined to stay up the middle long term. For me seeing Grove multiple times this year including going back to the SoCal Preseason All State Underclass in January the improvements to his swing and body were what stood and have me intrigued with his future potential. He has added about 10-15 lbs. to his body now a legitimate 155-160 lbs. on his 5'8ish frame that still has room to continue maturing. The added strength parlayed into a quicker bat with a better overall operation in the box that helped him to collect a single to LF while taking quality at bats facing the bevy of top-end arms that Royal ran out on the day. An up the middle defensive profile with an emerging offensive profile Grove is trending in the right direction.

+ '26 INF/RHP  Malakye Matsumoto - (Uncommitted):

Matsumoto shows an interesting 2-way potential and put together a strong showing at our OC Uncommitted Game event back in October, but on this day I got an extended look at him solely as a position player. With an athletic wiry build presently standing 6'4 about 175ish lbs. with length to his limbs there is room to fill out and the future strength gains could play a big role in helping his sound foundation reach its full potential. Matsumoto showed solid actions at 3B with good hands, quick feet that moved well laterally and plenty of arm strength to stick at the hot corner. At the plate he showed a quick swing with a direct barrel path and some leverage through the zone and shows some ability to use his lower 1/2 in the turn. The swing presents an interesting potential for me as he shows bat to ball feel, but his rhythm-timing-approach can still improve and develop to help bring his offensive profile upward and if he can get to contact out front more consistently while adding more from his lower 1/2 could tap into the power his frame projects.

Royal High School:

+ '26 RHP Dustin Dunwoody - (Arizona Commit):

This was my first chance to get eyes on Dunwoody since the spring/summer where he was outstanding for me in the CIF-SS high school season, then again at the Future Games Tryout: Orange County and finally when he toed the rubber in Georgia for Team California at the 2024 Prep Baseball Future Games. An athletic mover with an easy fast arm and the ability to spin a good breaking ball Dunwoody is trending upwards as evidenced by the gains he has made since Georgia to this 2 inning outing in the life/velocity on his pitches. In spring/summer Dunwoody sat 87-89 MPH and would bump 90 MPH here and there with arm side life to his FB, but he has made a step forward with the pitch sitting 90-92 MPH throughout the 2 innings and gave me a trio of 93 MPH readings all of which he gets to with a relatively easy operation. Dunwoody has a CHG/CB, but on this day was predominantly working with his tight 79-82 MPH SLD that has hard biting action to the glove side that gets whiff in zone. He battled his control a bit on this day, but the majority of his pitches were within the strike zone or missing close to the zone and he was able to punch out 3 hitters over the 2 innings. There is generally some rawness to the overall profile for Dunwoody, but the ability to polish what is already an upward trending profile both in his delivery operation and stuff quality points to an intriguing ceiling for the Arizona commit that has a starters potential or high-leverage/closer fall back.

+ '26 OF/LHP Isaiah Tillman - (Uncommitted):

Tillman has consistently grown on me over the course of the 2024 calendar year with my first look coming at the MLK Tourney hosted by Newbury Park in January of 2024, then again during the CIF-SS high school season, next up at the Prep Baseball West Coast Program Invite in July and now finally with this extended look in the winter ball circuit. Tillman is wiry lean, but athletic 2-way who gives me realistic vibes that he could potentially both hit and pitch at the next level, especially if he can add strength to his lower/upper body as he matures. Offenisively, he continues to show me a table-setter profile with an accurate bat to ball swing that works on a line drive/ground ball path from the pull side gap to opposite field foul line and puts the ball in play consistently with sneaky authority and patient enough to take his walks when he doesn't get a pitch to hit. I'm interested to see that if he can add the strength to his frame that his accurate swing starts to build up more bat speed allowing him to get to contact out front more and show some pull side impact. Defensively, he can play CF/LF at an impact level where he has good routes, sound first step and solid range. Rounding out his profile is what he can do on the bump with an aggressive delivery that features intent with arm speed to put together a quality 2 pitch mix. His FB sits at 84-86 with arm side life and touched 87 multiple times on the day which he backed up with a 74-76 MPH vertically breaking CB that flashes some power down in the zone. Tillman controls the strike zone well with his FB and can to both sides of the plate while both throwing his CB for strikes or burying it in the dirt for chase. Tillman is trending upward and if he can make the physical improvements to his body with strength gains has an interesting ceiling for his potential at the next level. I'm looking forward to having him at the Central California Preseason All State in January.

+ '26 LHP Dean Barkman - (UCSB Commit):

Barkman popped up on me in the late summer/fall when he announced his verbal commitment to UCSB on the back of a strong summer circuit where he dominated in a few different outings. I had been searching for an opportunity to get my own eyes on the Royal southpaw and this 2 inning look at him left me very impressed and intrigued for how he will impact the Highlanders pitching staff in the spring and his future home with the Gauchos. It's a more compact sized frame at what looks to be around 5'10 and 165ish lbs. that has plenty of room to add strength as he matures. He does swing it from the LH side for Royal, but it's what he does when he toes the rubber that jumps off the page. His delivery operation is easy and low effort with quickness to his arm speed that has the potential to become a fast arm in the future while staying online with his front side into the ground and his backside through the delivery to pound the strike zone. His FB worked at 85-86 consistently and then bumped multiple 87-88 MPH velos during his 2 inning outing. Barkman showed the ability to throw his FB within all 4 quadrants of the strike zone and get some whiff in zone. His primary breaking ball is a sharp downward breaking 70-72 MPH CB which he can locate for strikes, get whiff in zone and then bury below the zone for chase which helped him punch out 3 hitters on the day. For good measure he threw in one 77 MPH SLD with more horizontal break as his 3rd offering. It's a starters profile for Barkman with the easy operation and ability to throw strikes and gives Royal another D1 commit on their pitching staff which might be the most talented one in Ventura County.

+ '25 SS/RHP Brady Hewitt - (Oregon Commit):

The last time I had a chance to see Hewitt play was in 2023 when he was a Soph. starting at SS for another high school and at that time was committed to a different D1 program. Then at the start of his Jr. year he transferred into Royal and eventually flipped his commitment to Oregon who he signed his NLI with in November. Now after a lengthy recovery to a non-throwing arm related injury which caused him to miss his Jr. season of High School baseball and limited him from hitting in games until this game. Like many players that you go 18+ months in between live looks Hewitt has gotten significantly stronger adding muscle to his upper/lower body while maintaining the actions/athleticism to project as a left side of the INF defender either at SS or 3B long term. At the plate I got to see multiple at bats in which you could see him get more comfortable from at bat to at bat which started with a looking K in which you could see some rust with his rhythm/timing, but he responded by attacking an early FB in his second plate appearance that he ripped on one hop up the middle to the SS before finally working a deep at bat in his 3rd plate appearance where he stayed on each pitch he swung at just missing a few that he fouled straight back before going after an elevated 2K pitch that he lofted high on the INF for an out. The results of the day as a position player for Hewitt were not electric, but for a player getting the rust off his noticeable tool set looked comfortable/confident which with over 2 months until the CIF-SS opening day should be plenty ready to be an impact middle of the order piece for the Royals lineup. The intriguing addition to Hewitt's profile was that he is taking his intriguing arm strength and getting on the mound where he looks to be in line to be a Highlanders closer and adds an interesting piece for his future. Hewitt has been up to 93 MPH this fall, but after 6 innings at SS and a trio of at bats he worked at 90-91 MPH on this day from an athletic operation with intent as he moves down the mound. His arm action is long in the back with some trouble syncing up to his lower 1/2 at present showing the rawness in his pitching profile, but his lively FB and 77-79 MPH SLD which looks like a power SLV in the shape with life both vertically and horizontally in the break and he is beginning to mix in SPLT like CHG that has tumble downward. He showed fringey control as he was out of the zone early, but after about 5 pitches found the zone with regular consistency although his command can be polished as he was more over the middle of the plate then the corners, but his stuff is strong enough to dominate hitters at present. As the talented '25 continues to get back into game shape as a position player and polishes his pitching profile both pieces are going to be key to the success of the Royal program in the spring.

+ '25 3B Zach Nagy - (University of San Francisco Commit):

Nagy spent the majority of his fall on the gridiron where he plays QB for the Royal football program, but with the Friday night lights season concluded he is back on the diamond full-time again and showing his high level talent as a baseball player. Nagy is impact level defender at 3B who has range from his athletic ability, soft smooth hands that can pick hard hit balls and play with grace on routine ones, and he has an average to potential above average arm for the spot that is accurate. He made several very good plays including stealing a hit from Cadiz and he continues to intrigue me as to the potential he could play SS if given the chance based on the actions he shows moving around. Nagy slotted into the leadoff spot for Royal in the spring season and was right back there again on this day and opened his day by drilling a 92 MPH FB from Berenson to CF, but it was run down for an out by the Notre Dame CF and was the lone hard hit ball off Berenson in his outing. Nagy followed it up by staying on an outside FB in his next plate appearance to pick up a single to RF and then another strong plate appearance to round out his day. With the gridiron behind him and a future that is fully focused on baseball going forward the mixture of athletic ability, impact defensive, rising offense and more experience on the baseball diamond I'm intrigued to how high the ceiling is for Nagy in the future.

Names To Know:

In a one day look not all highlights are caught or players won’t always have their best results. With that in mind there were several other players who showed interesting tools/potential on this day or have bright futures ahead. The names below are ones to keep an eye on heading into next spring and going forward. 

Notre Dame:

+ '27 SS/2B Elijah Sim

+ '28 OF/RHP Dru Wilson

+ '26 RHP Jaden Lee

+ '27 RHP AJ LaSota

Royal:

+ '25 RHP/OF Caden Sramek (Oklahoma State Commit)

+ '26 INF Matt Stout

+ '26 C J.T. Lara

+ '26 1B/RHP Colten Rainer

+ '26 C Peyton Visage

(Players can click on their link above to claim their profile or if your profile is not listed babove search the Prep Baseball database for your profile. Don't see your profile? You can create a free Prep Baseball profile here)

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